Sta. Cruz Island Gets 63K Visitors in 2017

Tourist arrivals to the city’s superstar beach – Sta Cruz Island, reached a total close to 63,000 visitors in 2017.

These visits mark a 61% increase from the 38,916 visitors in 2016, and is the highest recorded visits in the island since 2012, reported Mayor Beng Climaco in her recent State of the City Address.

Climaco said the island “also experienced an influx of visitors during the “Fiesta na Isla,” an activity spearheaded by the Protected Area Management Unit (PAMU) of the City Mayor’s Office with 11,000 guests in a span of 8 days.

Famed for its swath of pink coralline sand, lovely hues formed from powdered red organ pipe corals mixed with white sand, velvety beach line, and astonishing turquoise clear water, Sta Cruz Island joins the few pink sand beaches in the planet as National Geographic lists it as one of the 21 best beaches in the world. CNN travel also recognized the pristine island as one of the country’s best islands and beaches in 2016.

Visits to the island is regulated, with 500 visitors allowed per day to keep the environment healthy, putting into consideration its protected landscape and seascape.

“Our tourism potentials thriving in a rich historical and cultural backdrop prove that Zamboanga and its tourism is the next big thing as long as we make sure that our City is safe to welcome visitors,” Climaco said.

She said tourist influx in the city continuously increase with almost half a million visitors recorded in 2017.

Tourism-potential areas like the Eleven Islands in the east coast, is one tourist attraction that the local government is looking into, and the development of the site is one of its flagship projects in 2018. (EDT/JPA/PIA9)